Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said that the satellite will go a long way in
addressing the region's economic and developmental priorities.

In
Focus

In
his radio address 'Mann Ki Baat', the Prime Minister said, "The
capacities of this satellite and the facilities it provides will go a
long way in addressing South Asia's economic and developmental
priorities."

"Natural resources mapping,
tele-medicine, the field of education, deeper IT connectivity or
fostering people-to-people contact – this satellite will prove to
be a boon in the progress of the entire region," the PM
added.

Emphasising on the satellite being an important
step towards improving ties with the rest of the South Asian
countries, the prime minister said, "It is an important step by
India to enhance cooperation with the entire South Asia... It is an
invaluable gift. This is an appropriate example of our commitment
towards South Asia. I welcome all the South Asian countries who have
joined us on the South Asia Satellite in this momentous
endeavor."

The cost of launching the satellite has been
estimated at about Rs 235 crore. This satellite was announced by PM
Modi during the 2014 SAARC summit in Nepal. All SAARC countries are a
part of this project, except Pakistan.

The GSAT-09
satellite is capable of delivering full range of applications and
services which will be used in telecommunication and broadcasting
applications including television, Very Small Aperture Terminals
(VSATs), Direct-to-Home (DTH), tele-medicine, Tele-education, and
Disaster Management Support.

The satellite which is about
50m tall, weighs 2,230 kg, has 12 Ku-band transponders, is cuboid in
shape. It has been built around a central cylinder and has a mission
life of more than 12 years.

The satellite will be launched
using a Geostationary Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk-II launch vehicle from
the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.